Proverbs 15:29 teaches a fundamental principle which, unfortunately, many people seem to have forgotten :  “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

So many appear to think that God looks favorably upon their prayers, no matter what kind of lifestyle they are living.  They see Him as some kind of “Santa Claus” or “grandfather” figure up in the sky, who doesn’t mind letting His children get away with whatever they want to do.  This is NOT the Biblical description of God.  Scripture consistently portrays God as a HOLY God, who is offended by our sin, which is rebellion against His commands.  To think that you may live however you choose, and it will not affect your relationship with God, is to be ignorant of the clear and widespread teaching of scripture: “The Lord is FAR from the wicked.”  People who speak as if they have a close, amiable fellowship with God, but who are living in blatant disobedience to Him, are living in a fantasy world, devoid of reality.  If you are walking in sin, you are NOT walking with God.  He is “far from the wicked.”

Of course, some of us may need to be reminded that this does not just apply to “those people out there” who traffic in particularly notorious sins — it applies to each of us.  Psalm 66:18 says “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”  If you want to pray prayers that God hears and responds to, and which draw you into a genuine fellowship with Him, you must turn from known sin.  Certainly we also understand that NONE of us are “righteous” in the sense of deserving to be heard by God.  Thankfully, we can pray in Jesus’ name, coming to the Father clothed in Christ’s righteousness.  But that is no excuse to toy with sin and think that it won’t interfere with your prayers.  It is a basic lesson, though many of us seem to have forgotten it: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”